Switching device.



No. 7973839. PATENTED AUG. 22, 1905. a zr. CARLSON. Swmcmm www;

APPLICATION PLEB) 1330.9, 1901i.

/ITTOH/VEVS irrrrnn srarns raiirnivr ernten,

l(JARL JHN CARLSON, OF SPQKANE, iA/TASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO HIlV SELF ANDHIRAM JESSE TABER, OF SPUKANE, l/VASHING-TON.

SlNlTClllNG lEVlClE..

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1905.

Application led December 9, 1904. Serial No. 236,129.

To all La7/1,0m, t may' concern:

Be it known that l, CARL loi-1N CARLSON, a citizen of the United States,and a resident oi Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State ot'Washington, have invented a new and lmproved Switching Device, of whichthe lollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose ol the invention is to provide a switch mechanism wherebythe engineer, motorman, driver, or operator of a car or train of carswithout leaving his station can direct the rolling-stock `from the mainline to a siding or from the siding to the main line, the movement ofthe switch being' automatically accomplished through the medium oli' adevice carried by the car and which is under the complete control oi theoperator and may be brought instantly into operation.

Another purpose o the invention is to pro vide a very simple andreadily-applied mech anism for accomplishing' all the results mentioned.

rlhe invention consists in the novel con struction and combination oiIthe several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointedout in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis speciiication, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the iigures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation oi' a car and accompanying' switchingdevice and a sectional side elevation oi the switch-operating mechanismadapted to be acted upon by the said shifting device. Fig. 2 is a planview of a portion of arnain track and siding, the switchrail, andmechanism for directly operating the switch-rail; `and Fig. 3 is apartial front elevation oi' a car and the shifting device carriedthereby.

The device is particularly adapted for use in connection with tracksJfor tram or street cars, and in the drawings A represents the rails ot'the main track, B the rails of the siding, and C the switch-point, whichis provided with the customary guard-rail 10.

The shifting mechanism l) consists oi' a plate 11, which is secured inany suitable or approved manner to the ties, and on the said plate 11 ashitting-tongue 12 is centrally pivoted by means of a suitable pivot-pin13. This shifting-tongue12 tapers in direction of its ends, the ends`being sharp, and, in fact, the sides of the switch-tongue 12 areoppositely inclined from the central point, rena dering the said tonguemore or less lozengeshaped in plan view. The points on the saidshitting-tongue are designated as a and c', the point c being' thatwhich is nearest the switchrail C. Guard-rails 1A extend upward from theupperv face of the plate 11 at its side edges, and the guard-rails 1A-are shaped correspondingly to the shape oi' the sides of theshifting-tongue IQ-that is to say, the said guard-rails incline inwardlyin opposite directions from a central point.

A guard. 15, preferably in the form of a tube, is made to extend fromthe guard-rail 10 to the opposing guide-rail 1A of the shiftingmechanism, and a connecting-rod 16 is attached to the switch rail orpoint C at its free end, which connecting-rod passes th rough theguard-rail l() and through the guard 15 and is connected to theshiltingtongue 12, near the point a thereof, asis shown in Fig. 2.

A shaft 17 is mounted to rock beneath the platform oi' a car E, the saidshaft beingjournaled in suitable bearings 18, and the shaft at one endis provided with an arm 19, which extends upward to be operated by theoperator of the car, and at the other end of the said shaft 17 adownwardly-extending arm 2O is provided, having a fork 22 at its lowerend, and between the members oi' the said fork 22, as is shown in Fig.8, a shiftingwheel 21 is mounted to turn, the said wheel having conicalside portions, so that it is provided with a sharp peripheral section23.

in Fig. 2 the shifting-tongue 12 is shown set for the main track. In theevent a car approaches the switch from the main track and it isnecessary for the car to pass onto the siding' B the shifting-wheel 21is made to venter the space between the point c of the shifting-tonguefacing the approaching car and the opposing guide-rail 1A, whereupon thewheel will pass in engagement with the side edges of the shiiting-tonguenext to the switch-point (l, and after the wheel has passed the centralportion oli' the shifting-tongue it will force the opposite point (t ofthe shiftingtongue away `from the guard rail 1li with which it was inengagement to an engagement with the opposite guard-rail lei, and thusthe switch-point C will be drawn inward or carried to a position toconduct a car onto the siding. l,ln the event another car approaches theswitch on the main line and it is necessary for it to continue along themain line the shifting-wheel on that car is made to engage with theshifting-tongue 12 in such manner as to turn it on its pivot and restorethe shifting-tongue to the position shown in Fig. 2 and consequently theswitch-point C to a position to connect with a rail of the main track.In the event a switch is properly set for an approaching' car theshifting-wheel 2l is moved so far sidewise and upward as not to operateon the shifting-tongue l2.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent l. In switch devices, the combination with the mainand siding rails of a track, and the switch-point,of a switch-operatingmechanism consistingr of a shiftingtongue pivoted at its longitudinalcenter, and inclined on each side vfrom its pivotal point inward to itsends,

guide-rails located opposite to the sides of the shifting-tongue andinclining inwardly in opposite directions from a central point tocorrespond with the shape of the sides of the shifting-tongue, aconnection between one end of the switch-point and an end portion of theshifting-tongue, and a wheel carried by a car and having conical sidefaces, the said wheel being adapted to engage with and move theshifting-tongue.

2. In switch devices, the combination with the main and siding rails ofthe track and the switch-point, of a switch-operating mechanismconsisting of a pivoted shifting-tongue, guiderails between which thetong'ue has movement, a connection between the switch-point and theshifting-tongue, a car, a horizontallyarranged rock-shaft journaledbeneath the platform of the car, and provided at one end with anupwardly-extending arm for operating the said rockshaft, a downwardlyeX- tending arm at the other end of said rockshaft, and a wheel carriedby said arm and adapted to engage with and move ,the shifting-tongue.

3. In switch devices, the combination with the main and siding rails ofa track and the switch-point, of a switch-operating mechanism consistingof a pivoted shifting-tongue inclined on each side from its pivotalpoint inward to its ends, guide-rails corresponding to the inclinationof and located opposite to the sides of the shifting-tongue, aconnection between the front end of the switch-point and an end portionof the shifting-tongue, a car, a rock-shaft journaled beneath the car,means for operating` the rock-shaft, a downwardlyextending arm attachedto the shaft, and a wheel carried by said arm, having a sharp peripheralsurface and conical side faces,

which wheel is adapted to engage with and move the shifting-tongue, asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

' CARL JOHN CARLSON.

/Vitnesses:

M. F. MENDENHALL, STELLA E. REA.

